Once relegated to individuals, this simple, reliable program that helps synchronize, backup, share and access your data is now available as a managed service for small businesses.

BeInSync has long has a reputation of providing a very simple way to synchronize the data between computers -- up to two PCs in the free version and up to five for the paid subscription (BeInSync Pro). It also let individuals share files with other people, backup data online to a secure, offsite facility and access their files from a remote computer.

Now, the company's announced a new version, BeInSync Business, available as a hosted software suite that provides these capabilities and also offers sophisticated features such as account permissions and continuous data protection – the latter courtesy of Amazon's S3 storage infrastructure.

Adi Ruppin, BeInSync's vice president of marketing, said that that the product is designed for companies that lack IT resources. "A small business can set up BeInSync Business quickly – without any upfront costs – and manage the software from one central Web-based console," he said.

BeInSync Business includes the following capabilities:

SynchronizationEach employee can synchronize any type of data between up to five PCs. The process takes place automatically in the background without interrupting productivity.

Online BackupBeInSync backs up customer data to Amazon's S3 secure storage facility. "Amazon's data center is better and more secure than anything we could have built, or that anyone else could, for that matter," said Ruppin. The Amazon service provides highly secure 448-bit Blowfish encryption when transferring data to the data center, retains unlimited file versions and offers capacities starting at 5GB per person that can scale up to 100GB per person.

Ruppin said that the company offers continuous data protection (CDP), which automatically backs up data changes as you make them, as the default backup setting. BeInSynch Business lets you set scheduled backups as well.

File SharingThis feature lets you securely share documents and collaborate with clients, customers and vendors across geographic locations. BeInSync uses 256-bit encryption to secure your data in transit, and Ruppin said there are no file size restrictions or storage limitations. "You can also set up and manage permissions that let you limit access to certain files, so for example, only individuals authorized to view payroll files can do so." He added that you can also limit BeInSync Business' features, so that only certain groups can sync files while others can only back up data.

Remote File AccessEmployees who work from home or out on the road can securely access their files or shared company folders through a central Web-based interface. Ruppin said that even while away from the office, employees can upload and download files, view and restore backups or manage shared folders.

Central ManagementRuppin called feature the main difference between the BeInSync Pro version and the new BeInSync Business. The Web-based management console lets you monitor all computers, set permissions, manage the employee accounts, schedule data backup, synchronization and shared folder features and receive alerts if something goes awry.

You can also brand the Web portal with your company's name, which Ruppin said gives small businesses a professional image when partners, clients or vendors come to the site.

PricingPricing starts at $20 per person per month. Ruppin said that the company will price packages for companies that want some, but not all four of BeInSync Business functions.

Lauren Simonds is the managing editor of SmallBusinessComputing.com

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